Saturday, March 31, 2012

Another powerful trans activist has passed away. Los Angeles area activist Alexis Rivera died March 28 at age 34 due to compilations from HIV. She was loved by all who got to know her on the West Coast and became an amazing advocate for our community.

For those of you on the Left Coast who wish to pay your respects to her, a memorial service for Alexis Rivera will be held at Fiesta Hall in Plummer Park on Sunday, April 1 at 12:15 PM PDT. Location is 7377 Santa Monica Blvd in West Hollywood, CA. Viewing will be Monday, April 2 from 1-3 PM PDT at Abbott Abbott and Hast Mortuary.

A memorial service for Alexis will be held for her in San Francisco on April 7 at the SF LGBT Center for 3-5:30 PM PDT. Location of the center is 1800 Market Street

She worked for the Transgender Law Center and here's video of Alexis speaking at a 2007 gender conference. Rest in peace sis. You will be missed by your activist peers and all who loved you.

Friday, March 30, 2012

A historic event is taking place this weekend in Dallas as the first annual Black Transmen Conference kicked off March 29. The keynote speaker is Minister Louis Mitchell and I know my transbrothers and their guests and supporters are experiencing a wonderful and empowering weekend.

It's Friday, so that means I get to attend to my usual business of selecting the fool, fools or group of fools who have so richly deserved and earned this week's Shut Up Fool Award.

But our winner this week is Tea Klux Klan favorite Rep. Joe Walsh (R-IL). He hit a new low when he disrespected former Rep Tammy Duckworth who is running for Congress again after serving in the Obama administration

In addition to serving in the Obama Administration as the Assistant Secretary for Public and Intergovernmental Affairs in the Veterans Administration from 2009-2011 Duckworth served our country as a Black Hawk helicopter pilot in Iraq in
2004, and lost her legs and part of the use of her right arm. She was
awarded the Purple Heart for her combat injuries and is still active as a
Lieutenant Colonel in the Illinois National Guard while you were busy being a deadbeat dad and piling up a six figure child support debt.

She's a better American than you will ever be and will make a wonderful congressmember for the Illinois 8th District.

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About The TransGriot

Monica Roberts, AKA the TransGriot (Gree-oh) is a native Houstonian, GLAAD award nominated blogger, writer, and award winning trans human rights advocate. She's the founding editor of TransGriot, and her writing has appeared at the Bilerico Project, Ebony.com, The Huffington Post and the Advocate.
She works to foster understanding and acceptance of trans people inside and outside communities of color and was recently honored with the Virginia Prince Transgender Pioneer Award

TransGriot Blog Mission Statement

The TransGriot blog's mission is to become the griot of our community. I will introduce you to and talk about your African descended trans brothers and trans sisters across the Diaspora, reclaim and document our chocolate flavored trans history, speak truth to power, comment on the things that impact our trans community from an Afrocentric perspective and enlighten you about the general things that go on around me and in the communities that I am a member of.

--Mission Statement compiled January 2, 2011

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